Duplicating machines



Nov. 4, 1969 J. W. CARLSON DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed Sept. 1. 1967 If 34 I 25 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN W. CARLSON United States Patent O US. Cl. 27136 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A duplicating machine embodying stop fingers for a stack of sheets to be printed, with the stop fingers embodying sheet-stripping members disposed in overlying relation to the stack.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention relates to duplicating machines and, more particularly, to feeding mechanisms which are particularly well adapted for feeding sheets of paper to the printing mechanism in a duplicating machine.

It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novel feeding mechanism for feeding sheets of paper seriatim from a stack of such sheets.

A duplicating machine embodying sheet feeding mechanism of the same general type as that disclosed herein is shown in my US. Patent No. 3,195,884, issued July 20, 1965 for Duplicating Machines on an application filed Apr. 18, 1962.

Duplicating machines of the type disclosed in my aforementioned patent have proven to be highly practical. However, it is an object of the present invention to afford improvements thereover.

The stop fingers of the machine shown in the aforementioned Patent No. 3,195,884 embody portions which rest on top of the topmost sheet in the stack of sheets to be fed from storing position in the machine. I have found that certain advantages accrue from affording finger mechanisms wherein the sheet overlying portions thereof are disposed in upwardly spaced relation to the stack of sheets to be separated thereby. It is on object of the present invention to enable a novel stop finger mechanism to be provided wherein such upwardly spaced overlying relation can be afforded in a novel and expeditious manner.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel feeding mechanism of the aforementioned type wherein the parts thereof are so constituted and arranged as to afford novel stop mechanism for limiting movement of paper during loading or re-loading of such paper into feeding position.

Yet another object is to afford novel stop mechanisms for stacks of sheets disposed in storing position in duplirating machines, which stop mechanisms afford novel sheet-stripping mechanisms for the sheets when they are fed from storing position to printing position in the machines.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel stop mechanism of the aforementioned type wherein the proper position of the stop mechanism relative to such a stack of sheets may be maintained in a novel and expeditious manner.

Another object is to afford a novel feeding mechanism of the aforementioned type which is practical and efficient in operation and which may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which,

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by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front perspective view of a duplicating machine embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front perspective view of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded, fragmentary perspective view of the portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 in FIG. 2, with certain parts broken away to show underlying parts; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, with certain parts thereof disposed in different operative positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT SHOWN HEREIN A duplicating machine 1, embodying the principles of the present invention, is shown in the drawings to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The duplicating machine 1 shown in the drawings is of a type which includes, in general, a housing 2, with a storing station 3 disposed at the front end portion of the housing 2, and another station 4 disposed rearwardly of the storing station 3, and through which sheets are fed from the storing station 3 to a printing station, not shown, in the operation of the machine 1.

In the operation of the duplicating machine 1, sheets of paper to be printed are fed seriatim by a feeding mechanism 5 rearwardly through the machine from the top of a stack of sheets, such as the stack 6 shown in FIGS.

' 5 and 6, from the storing position 3 to the other position 4, from which the sheets are fed through a printing operation by feeding mechanism, not shown, but which can be of any suitable type such as, for example, the type shown in my aforementioned Patent No. 3,195,884.

The feeding mechanism 5 includes a supporting frame 6, which includes two side plates 7 and 8 with a crossbar 9 extending between the upper edges of the side plates 7 and 8, FIG. 1. Two elongated members 10 and 11 extend rearwardly from the side plates 7 and 8, respectively, and, at their rear ends portions, not shown, are pivotally connected to the housing 2 to afford upward and downward oscillation of the frame 6 therearound toward and away from the storing station 3 over which the supporting frame 6 is disposed.

A drive shaft 12 is journaled at one end in a bearing 13 mounted on the side plate 7, and the other end thereof is mounted in a one-way clutch 14 mounted on the side plate 8. The clutch 14 is operatively connected to a drive mechanism, not shown, mounted in the member 11. The drive mechanism may be of any suitable type, such as, for example, the type shown in my aforementioned Patent No. 3,195,884.

Two feed rollers 15 and 16 are mounted on the drive shaft 12. The drive shaft 12 is preferably angular in transverse cross section such as, of hexagonal transverse crosssectional shape. The openings through which the drive shaft 12 extends in the feed rollers 15 and 16 are complementary in size and shape to the drive shaft 12, and

3 the latter is disposed therein with a relatively snug but freely slidable fit. With this construction, rotation of the drive shaft 12 is effective to similarly rotate the feed rollers 15 and 16, and the rollers 15 and 16 are readily adjustable into various positions along the drive shaft 12.

The duplicating machine 1 includes two side rails 17 and 18 mounted on top of the top wall portion 19 of the housing 2, which forms the bottom of the storing station 3, FIG. 1. The side rails 17 and 18 are disposed on opposite lateral sides of the storing station 3 for engaging and guiding respective longitudinal edges of the stack of sheets disposed in operative position at the storing station 3. The side rails 17 and 18 include substantially parallel, vertically extending side walls 20 and 21 having inwardly projecting horizontal flanges 22 and 23 at the lower edge portions thereof, respectively, FIG. 1. The side rails 17 and 18 also have outwardly projecting flanges 24 and 25, FIGS. 2 and 3, at the rear edges of the side walls 20 and 21, respectively.

Two sheet-stripping fingers or stop fingers 26 and 27, FIG. 1, which are mirror images of each other in construction, are disposed at the rear end of the storing station 3 in substantially upright, parallel relation to each other. Each of the stop fingers 26 and 27 includes a substantially flat rear wall 28 disposed in parallel juxtaposition to the rear face of the flanges 24 and on the side rails 17 and 18, respectively. A side flange 29 extends forwardly from the outer edge of each of the rear walls 28 of the respective stop fingers 26 and 27 in abutting engagement with the adjacent free edge of the respective adjacent flange 24 and 25 on the side rails 17 and 18, respectively, and rollers 30 are rotatably mounted on the respective flanges 29 and project inwardly therefrom into engagement with the front face of the respective adjacent flanges 24 and 25. Each of the stop fingers 26 and 27 also includes a relatively short pointed hook member 31 which projects forwardly from the upper edge of the rear wall 28 thereof in abutting engagement with the rear edge portion of the inner face of the respective side walls 20 and 21. With this construction, the stop fingers 26 and 27 are mounted on the side walls 20 and 21 of the side rails 17 and 18, respectively, for substantially vertical movement upwardly and downwardly along the respective flanges 24 and 25 on the side rails 17 and 18.

Each of the stop fingers 26 and 27 also includes two rearwardly extending, substantially parallel ears 32 and 33 disposed at the top thereof in upwardly spaced relation to the respective flanges 29. The ears 32 and 33 on each of the stop fingers 26 and 27 have aligned openings 34 therethrough through which, in the assembled machine 1, an elongated, substantially straight rod 35 extends for a purpose which will be discussed in greater detail presently.

Two elongated, substantially flat mounting brackets 36 and 37, which are identical in construction, are mounted on the stationary housing portions of the bearing 13 and the one-way clutch 14, respectively. Each of the mounting brackets 36 and 37 has a substantially round opening 38 extending through an enlarged head portion 39 disposed at the upper end thereof. In mounting the brackets 36 and 37 on the bearing 13 and the clutch 14, the bearing 13 and the clutch 14 are inserted through the openings 38 in the respective mounting brackets 36 and 37. Preferably, the openings 38 in the mounting brackets 36 and 37 are of such size and configuration that when the bearing 13 and the clutch 14 are disposed in operative position therein, they are engaged in the respective openings 38 with a press fit so as to hold the brackets 36 and 37 against rotation on the bearing 13 and the clutch 14, respectively. Although I prefer to afford such a press fit, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the brackets 36 and 37 may be secured against rotation on the bearing 13 and the clutch 14 by other suitable means, such as, for example, spot welding.

Each of the mounting brackets 36 and 37 has an elongated ear 40 extending rearwardly from the enlarged head 39 thereof, and each of the ears 40 has an elongated slot 41 therein, as may best be seen in the mounting bracket 37 shown in FIG. 4. Each of the mounting brackets 36 and 37 also has an elongated body portion 42 extending downwardly from the car 40 thereof, and when the mounting brackets 36 and 37 are disposed in operative position in the machine 1, the body portions 42 thereof are disposed outwardly of the flanges 29 of the respective stop fingers 26.and 27 in closely adjacent relation thereto, to thereby assist in guiding the respective stop fingers 26 and 27 in their movement upwardly and downwardly along the rear edges of the side rails 17 and 18.

In the assembled machine 1, the rod 35 extends through the opening 34 in each of the stop fingers 26 and 27 and through the openings 41 in each of the mounting brackets 36 and 37. It may be releasably secured in this position by any suitable means such as, for example, snap rings 42 mounted in grooves 43, FIG. 4, disposed outwardly of the ears 44) of each of the respective brackets 36 and 37.

In the operation of the machine 1, the frame 6, with the feed rollers 15 and 16 thereon, may be swung upwardly into raised position during loading of a stack of sheets, such as the stack 6, FIG. 5, into operative position at the storing station 3. The frame 6 may be held in such raised position during this operation by any suitable means, such as, for example, manually or by a suitable latching mechanism such as that shown in my aforementioned Patent 3,195,884. After the stack of sheets has been loaded into storing position in the machine 1, the frame 6 may be released to thereby permit it to move downwardly by gravity into position wherein the feed rollers 15 and 16 rest on the topmost sheet of the stack 6 disposed at the storing station 3. During such movement of the frame 6, the mounting brackets 36 and 37 are raised and lowered with the bearing 13 and the clutch 14. This movement of the mounting brackets 36 and 37 is effective to correspondingly raise and lower the stop fingers 26 and 27 along the rear edge portions of the side rails 17 and 18, respectively.

The mounting brackets 36 and 37 are so disposed on the bearing 13 and the clutch 14, and the openings 34 and 41 are so disposed in the stop fingers 26 and 27 and the mounting brackets 36 and 37, respectively, that in all positions of the feed rollers 15 and 16 relative to a stack of sheets, such as the stack 6 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pointed hook members 31 on the stop fingers 26 and 27 are disposed in overlying, upwardly spaced relation to a respective rear corner of the stack, as illustrated in FIGS. 5" and 6. Preferably, such upward spacing of the hook members 31 relative to the stack 6 is substantially uniform, and in the nature of one-sixteenth of an inch, and, preferably, is not less than one thirty-second of an inch and not more than three thirty-seconds of an inch. I have found that this substantially uniform spacing of the hook members 31 relative to the stack 6 at all levels of the sheets therein may be effected in the novel machine 1 by disposing the elongated slots 41 in the mounting brackets 36 and 37 in such position that the bottom walls 44 thereof extend horizontally when the feed rollers 15 and 16 rest on the uppermost sheet of the stack 6 which is one-half the thickness of a normal full stack. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the radius of rotation of the frame 6 during upward and downward oscillation is relatively large, being in the nature of several inches, as is shown in my aforementioned Patent 3,195,- 884. It is particularly large when compared to the overall length of the slots 41, which have a length in the nature of a minor fraction of an inch, being only of such length as to permit free movement of the frame 6 and, therefore, of the feed rollers 15 and 16 relative to the rod 35 and to the stop fingers 26 and 27 during upward and downward movement of the feed rollers 15 and 16 during paper-loading and paper-feeding operations, respectively, so as to enable the stop fingers 26 and 27 to move upwardly and downwardly with the frame 6 and the feed rollers 15 and 16, but in a straight vertical line.

In the operation of the machine 1, when the stack of sheets 6 is being loaded thereinto, with the frame 6 and the feed rollers 15 and 16 in raised position, the stop fingers 26 and 27 afford abutment members at the rearward edge of the storing station 3 which are effective to engage the rear edge of the stack of papers being inserted into the machine 1, thereby effectively defining the rearward limit to which the stack may be inserted.

After the papers to be fed through the machine have thus been inserted into operative position at the storing station 4, the feeding mechanism 5 may be permitted to swing downwardly into position wherein the feed rollers 15 and 16 rest on top of the stack of papers, as shown in FIG. 5. During this downward movement of the feeding mechanism 5, the stop fingers 26 and 27 are also lowered into position wherein the hook members 31 thereon are disposed in upwardly spaced relation to the stack 6.

In the operation of the duplicating machine 1 shown in the drawings, during a feeding operation of the feed rollers 15 and 16, the driving mechanism embodied in the housing 11 is effective, through the clutch 14, to intermittently rotate the feed rollers 15 and 16 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 5' and 6. It will be remembered that the hook members 31 on the stop fingers 26 and 27, respectively, are disposed in overlying upwardly spaced relation to the front face of the rear corners of the top sheet on the stack 6. Therefore, during initial rotation of the feed rollers 15 and 16, during each of the aforementioned intermittent rotations thereof, the top sheet is bulged upwardly until the front corners thereof slide over the hook members 31. Thereafter, the top sheet is fed rearwardly by the feed rollers 15 and 16 into the other station 4 from which they are fed on through the machine 1 by any suitable mechanism, such as, for example, the feeding and printing mechanism shown in my aforementioned Patent 3,195,884.

It has been found that with the hook members 31 initially disposed in upwardly spaced relation to the top sheet on the stack 6, the disengagement of the top sheet from the stop fingers 26 and 27 is expedited. Such disengagement may be effected without danger of any binding between the hook members 31 and the top sheet, and without any permanent curling or creasing of the rear corners of the top sheet above which the hook members 31 are disposed in overlying position when the top sheet is disposed in normal stored position in the machine.

As the sheets are fed off from the stack 6, the feed mechanism is free to swing downwardly to thereby maintain the feed rollers 15 and 16 in engagement with the upper face of the top sheet of the stack 6. As this occurs, the stop fingers 26 and 27 move correspondingly downwardly, the rod 35 preferably being engaged in the openings 34 with a relatively snug, freely slidable fit, and being engaged in the elongated slots 41 in the mounting brackets 36 and 37 with a freely slidable fit. With this construction, as the feed mechanism 5 moves downwardly from a raised position, such as that shown in FIG. 5, to a lowered position, such as that shown in FIG. 6, the movement of the frame 6 along an arc, as compared to the substantially straight-line, vertical movement of the stop fingers 26 and 27 is effective to cause the mounting brackets 36 and 37 to move forwardly a short distance relative to the stop fingers 26 and 27, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, to thereby cause the ears 40 on the mounting brackets 36 and 37 to move forwardly along the rod 35. During this movement of the mounting brackets 36 and 37, the rod 35 rests on the bottom walls 44 of the slots 41 therein so that the stop fingers 26 and 27, at all times, are supported by the brackets 36 and 37. With the bottom walls 44 of the slots 41 disposed in the aforementioned manner in the mounting brackets 36 and 37, the angular displacement thereof during such movement of the mounting brackets 36 and 37 is so slight as to be substantially negligible so that the spacing of the hook members 31 above the stack 6 is substantially uniform throughout the entire movement downwardly of the feed rollers 15 and 16 during the sheet feeding operation of the machine 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel feeding mechanism which is practical and efficient in operation.

Also, it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel sheet-stopping and sheet-stripping mechanism.

In addition, it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel sheet feeding mechanism which may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a duplicating machine having a storing station for storing a stack of sheets to be printed, and another station toward which sheets of paper are fed from said storing station during operation of said machine,

(a) roller means (1) disposed at said storage station (2) in position to engage the top sheet of such a stock of sheets disposed at said storage station,

(b) means operatively connected to said roller means for rotating the latter through a rotation and in a direction effective to move said top sheet from said storing station to said other station,

(c) supporting means operatively connected to said roller means for movably supporting said roller means for movement downwardly and upwardly toward and away from such a stack of sheets at said storage station, and

(d) stop means movable with said supporting means and disposed in position to stoppingly engage the edge of said stack of sheets at said storage station facing toward said other station,

(e) said stop means having hooked portions disposed in position to overlie respective corners of said stack at said storage station, and

(f) said stop means being mounted on said supporting means in position to support said hooked portions in upwardly spaced relation to said stack at said storage station in all positions of said roller means.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 and in which (a) said hooked portions (1) are disposed in position to engage respective corners of said top sheet during movement thereof by said roller means from said storing position toward said other position, and

(2) are disengageable from said respective corners during movement of said top sheet to said other position.

3. In a duplicating machine having a storing station for storing a stack of sheets to be printed, and another station toward which sheets of paper are fed from said storing station during operation of said machine,

(a) a frame oscillatable upwardly and downwardly over said storing station,

(b) roller means mounted on and carried by said frame for movement therewith,

(c) said roller means being (1) disposed at said storage station (2) in position to engage the top sheet of such a stack of sheets disposed at said storage station,

(d) means operatively connected to said roller means for rotating the latter through a rotation and in a direction effective to move said top sheet from said storing station to said other station, and

(e) stop means movable upwardly and downwardly with said frame and disposed in position to stoppingly engage the edge of said stack of sheets at said storage station facing toward said other station,

(f) said stop means having hooked end portions and being mounted on said frame in position to support said hooked end portions in upwardly spaced, overlying relation to respective corners of said stack at said storage station in all positions of said roller means.

4. The combination defined in claim 3, and in which (a) said machine includes a substantially stationary guide member, and

(b) said stop means are operatively engaged with said guide member for substantially uniplanar movement upwardly and downwardly therealong during movement of said stop means with said frame.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, and in which (a) said stop means are supported on said frame by mounting bracket means mounted on said frame and movable therewith.

6. In a duplicating machine having a storing station for storing a stack of sheets to be printed, and another station toward which sheets of paper are fed from said storing station during operation of said machine,

(a) a frame oscillatable upwardly and downwardly over said storing station,

(b) roller means mounted on and carried by said frame for movement therewith,

(c) said roller means being l) disposed at said storage station (2) in a position to engage the top sheet of such a stack of sheets disposed at said storage station,

(d) means operatively connected to said roller means for rotating the latter through a rotation and in a direction effective to move said top sheet from said storing station to said other station,

(e) stop means movable upwardly and downwardly with said frame and disposed in position to stoppingly engage the edge of said stack of sheets at said storage station facing toward said other station,

(f) said stop means having hooked end portions disposed in position to overlie respective corners of said stack at said storage station in upwardly spaced relation thereto in all positions of said roller means,

(g) a substantially stationary guide member,

(h) said stop means being operatively engaged with said guide member for substantially uniplanar movement upwardly and downwardly therealong during movement of said stop means with said frame,

(i) said stop means being supported on said frame by mounting bracket means mounted on said frame and movable therewith,

(j) said mounting bracket means having elongated slots therein,

(k) said slots having substantially horizontally extending, elongated bottom walls, and

(l) elongated means projecting from said stop means and mounted in said slots in engagement with said bottom walls for supporting said stop means from said bracket means for relative movement between said stop means and said bracket means.

7. The combination defined in claim 6, and in which (a) said elongated means comprises an elongated rod extending through said stop means and having oppositely disposed ends mounted in respective ones of said slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,195,884 7/1965 Carlson 271-10 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 2716O 

